Words of Encouragement, Teaching, Restoration
  "I worship God through my membership in my organization" is a common statement heard from members of Greek/Freemason organizations when told their organization is one of Satan's evil attempts to deceive people. Is it true? Can a Christian claim they are worshiping the true God, Jehovah by the activities they partake in through their fraternity/sorority? What does the word of God say? What does it mean to "worship? These questions will addressed in this post and those who have an ear to hear will hear from God the truth. Because this is a complex topic, this post will be broken down into four posts. This is post 1.
First, what does it mean to worship in practical terms. Merriam defines worship as "to honor or reverence as divine being or supernatural power" or "two regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion". John Piper (2016) gives this statement about worship of God, " The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, praising God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ." (emphasis added) Delesslyn Kennebrew (2012) wrote, "Worship is to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission(Webster's Dictionary,1828). True worship, in other words, is defined by the priority we place on who God is in our lives and where God is on our list of priorities. True worship is a matter of the heart expressed through a lifestyle of holiness." (emphasis added). Giving sacrifices is a form of worship. In the Bible worship is defined in these scriptures: Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Many who profess to be Christians and defend staying a member of their Greek/Masonic organization claim they are not idol worshiping, but again, we have look at what it means to 'worship'. Point 1. Life and Death are in the Tongue Throughout the word of God it is clear God expects His followers to praise Him and a common form or praise is in singing songs. "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding" Psalm 47:6-7. Most of every church has a music ministry. What are those songs supposed to be about? Do choirs sing about the specific church denomination? Do they sing about the accomplishments of the church? No, for the most part, many sing praises to God/Jesus, songs about His grace, mercy, love, songs of thanksgiving. When Greeks and Masons sing songs who are they praising? Who do they proclaim when it comes to their "good works"? Who gets the credit for their "good works"? Most if not all Greeks/Freemason have songs/chants that are proclamation of the 'greatness' of their organization and its members. Here are a few examples of some the songs sung by these Greek/Masonic organizations: Delta Beta Hymn Alpha Kappa Alpha Delta Sigma Theta, how we love thy name I think I shall never know And they blessed Sisterhood another love that thrills me so Thru the coming years may we bring thee fame Dwells in my heart by night, by N'er forget the things for which you stood. day as does my love for A.K.A. Freemason Phi Beta Sigma May freedom, harmony, and love Phi Beta Sigma sings in part of "Oh Cement you in the grand design; Sigma Dear"...we raise our hearts in Beneath the Omniscient Eye above, song, we pledge our loyalty...Phi The glorious Architect divine Phi Beta is the life. Point 2. God loves a cheerful Giver Another form of worship is giving, being generous. Now, I understand that today, many churches today are nothing more than Satan's playgrounds where the money given is to just support the pastor's lifestyle, but for churches that are not ruled by Satan, the members give up their earnings for the furthering of God's kingdom. The money, time, resources are used to preach the gospel, tend to orphans, widows, help those in and out of the body who have various problems. Where does all the money, time, resources go from members in Greek/Masonic organizations? Is it to spread the gospel? It is true some of them feed the homeless, have programs to help children, widows, but again who gets the credit for these activities? I know for a fact that many of the so called "good works" are nothing more than activities to promote humanistic activities to cater to the elite. One example, a chapter I was in holds a yearly scholarship pageant. What would be the result of all the activities to support this pageant, did we give out much money in scholarships? No, literally the event itself would cost near $100,000 dollars but we would only end up giving out about 17% of that in scholarships, all the rest went towards the event itself in expensive hotels/decorations/etc. Point 3. Heart Ownership The greatest commandment Matthew 22:37, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" and "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:21. EVERY one of these Greek/Freemason have some song, chant, oath about their heart belonging the the organization. What do members of these organizations treasure? Many profess to treasure their organization, their songs and chants talk about their heart,mind, everything being given to the organization and they believe this is not worship? These organizations demand that a persons's heart and loyalty belong to the organization. Followers of God are to above all else, guard our hearts with all diligence for out of them spring the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). These are points 1 thru 3 of 10. If anyone is interested in more information please click on this link: https://www.outfromamongthem.com/ There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. In order for the children of Satan to become children of God they must believe The Good News , Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes in the shed blood of the risen Savior, Jesus, will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. (Romans 6:9; 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 7:14, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10) 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19) 3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9) 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31) This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 105:1; Psalm 16:2; Psalm 95:6; Matthew 5:15-16; Isaiah 12:4; Psalm 73:25; Psalm 9:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 103: 1-4; Psalm 63: 3-4, 7-8; Psalm 100; Acts 17:30; Ephesians 2:8-9; Psalm 47:6-7: 2 Corinthians 9:7; Matthew 22:37; Matthew 5:37; Matthew 5:33-37; Matthew 5:16; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 6:21; James 4:4; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 10:20-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:28; Matthew 20:25-28; Romans Chapter 1; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; Matthew 7:21-23; John 8:12; Deuteronomy 18:10-12 References: https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/worship; https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-worship; https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/spirituallife/what-is-true-worship.html; http://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/g/greekindex.html
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  As the rate of those who believe the Bible is true and are real followers of Christ continues to decline, what the world will be like when Satan's one world government comes into full power is quickly becoming a realization. As many in the church stay silent while the liberal, Satanic agenda pushes more sinful laws and outlaws truth, the world is welcoming Satan with open arms. The Satanic motto promoted by the wicked Aleister Crowley "Do what thou will" is being accepted by more and more people every day. What is a preview of a One World Government where the Bible and what it says is outlawed? Let's look at the state of current affairs. Why are thousands of people dying monthly from drug overdoses? Why do people turn to opiates, alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepines for comfort? In one year, drug overdoses killed more Americans than the entire Vietnam War did 2015 was the worst year for drug overdose deaths in US history. Then 2016 came along.By German Lopez@germanrlopez[email protected] Updated Jun 8, 2017, 1:17pm EDT Why are thousands of adolescents a month trying to kill themselves? Is not the godless public school system giving the kids what they need? Is not teaching them that they are nothing more than molecules or evolved animals not helping their self esteem? Leading causes of death Leading causes of deaths among adolescents aged 15–19 years:
If the hedonistic sexual doctrines that homosexuality, beastiality, pedophelia, fornication, is so good, why is the rate of HIV/other sexually transmitted infections increasing? Thousands of miserable, lonely, people, why are they not satisfied with just "hooking up"? 2016 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance- STD's Increase Across The Country for Third Year  Music artists promote verses from the Satanic bible. Concerts with up-side-down crosses and other horrific imagery, all in the name of "entertainment" with many who believe they are Christians in the audience, singing, clapping, and dancing along as demons infiltrate their soul.  Pastors promoting, supporting, applauding movies about fornication, murder, witchcraft, adultery as if there is nothing wrong with any of these activities, it's just "entertainment". As the world gets sicker, more depraved, and people continue dying from murders, diseases, drugs, the true Christians must wake from their slumber, remove the scales from their eyes, unplug their stuffed ears, and melt their cold hearts to return to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To stop listening to Satan's henchmen that preach you can live a life of sin and still be blessed, that God is a forgiving God and that everyone gets to go to heaven. God is going to judge this world and He does protect His own, His enemies He will utterly destroy on this earth and in hell. Hell is not preached on the TV Faith based television stations neither is it preached in most pulpits in America today. Hell is joked about by musical and entertainment artists. None of them will be laughing when they come face to face with their Creator.  There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. In order for the children of Satan to become children of God they must believe The Good News , Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes in the shed blood of the risen Savior, Jesus, will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. (Romans 6:9; 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 7:14, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10) 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19) 3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9) 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31) This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: 2nd Thessalonians 3:31: Matthew 24:22; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-3 References: https://www.drugabuse.gov/ https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/6/15743986/opioid-epidemic-overdose-deaths-2016 https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats16/default.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/adolescent-health.htm  "You just don't understand what I've been through" is a common response from those who reject to believe that God loves them and has a purpose and plan for their lives. Why can't we often see past our own pain to see the truth of God's word? Is our human suffering any greater than God's? The way people try to compare sufferings is like they are competing in a "pain Olympics" that there are awards for gold, silver, and bronze for who has the worst pain. So who would God says has the worst pain?  Is it the young woman who was sexually molested by her father when she was a child?  Is it the loving husband whose wife left him for another man?  Is it parents who lost their child in a car accident or that child killed themselves?  Is it a 25 year old, physically fit, executive diagnosed with a rare cancer whose life completely changes to where she is now not able to work and is completely dependent on others?  Is it a 9 year old boy who is kidnapped from his home and sold into sex trafficking? Whose pain is worse? Is their pain relevant to the Gospel of Christ? This is where most will stop listening and turn away in an angry, severely offended, condemning manner saying things like, "How can you disregard their suffering" or "You are belittling their situations". As Christians, are we to be concerned about hurting people's feelings or saving their soul? Did Jesus placate those following Him, was He worried about hurting their feelings? I will proclaim that Jesus did not care one bit about their "feelings", He often told them to STOP depending on their feelings and instead to THINK/BELIEVE the truth, irregardless of their situations: "Which of you by worrying can make themselves 1-inch taller? " Matthew 6:27, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" Matthew 6:34. "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" Luke 17:33 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. " Matthew 10:28. Isaiah 41:10 ESV / Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV / Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Not once in the entire Bible does God ever applaud feelings, give a pass for feelings because of horrific circumstances, or make statements like, "I understand how you feel". Time and time again He would say, "Why are you feeling that way?", for example, in 1 Kings Chapter 19, when the prophet Elijah had just demonstrated God's awesome power against the evil prophets of Jezebel, he had them all killed, Jezebel threatened to kill him and Elijah got scared and ran away. did God respond to him and say "I understand Elijah, why you are feeling sad and alone, Jezebel is trying to kill you, and you have done nothing wrong". Who gets the gold medal for the worst pain ever?  He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has taken up our pain and carried our sufferings; Yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him and afflicted, But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for out iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was put upon Him and by His stripes we are healed...And The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:3-6
Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died that the ungrateful, wicked, hypocritical, sinful man could live. God did not ask us to change first, He offered Himself first. The pain that He must go through since the beginning that His creation rebelled against Him is unimaginable, that no matter how good He treats His creation, we still reject Him. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" Matthew 23:37. But thank God, that because of His benevolence, we do not get what we deserve. His love for us is so amazing that He can love us in spite of our sin and rejection of Him! Pain and suffering are part of the human condition because of sin. This earth and humankind are cursed and until that curse is lifted, all kinds of tragedies will continue to happen to us. Yes, some sufferings are worse than others, but no human suffering can compare to God's. The consequences of suffering from a humanistic view point ends in nothing but futility, a wasted, useless life. The consequences of suffering in God's kingdom is that God can make ANY situation work out for our good to those who love Him and are called (and accept that call) according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes in the shed blood of the risen Savior, Jesus, will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. (Romans 6:9; 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 7:14, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10) 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19) 3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9) 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31) This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: 1 Kings Chapter 19; Isaiah 53:3-6; Matthew 23:27; Romans 8:28; Isaiah 41:10; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 10:28;Matthew 6:27;Matthew 6:34; Luke 17:33 References: biblehub.com  The many cameras, lights, and flashing to take pictures of the celebrity men and women strolling on the red carpet, photographers desperately trying capture the expensive clothes/their presentations, sending the message that these people are V.I.P., very important people, according to the world. Sadly, many people do believe that because these people have lots of money and fame that they have 'made it'; and further, to be worshiped and admired for what they have become. The Bible has something else to say about this.   The world does not want to hear this message. There are always consequences or benefits to what we choose to do in life. Those who reject the gospel of Christ want to go on believing that they can live and do what ever they want and still not suffer any eternal consequences. They believe that being a Christian is too boring or too hard. They are right about one thing, it is hard, actually it is impossible to live the way God requires without His help. One of the best parts of accepting Christ as Savior is we get some heavenly assistance.
"If you love Me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:15-17. That Helper is the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to help us overcome and cope with the trials we face daily as we live in this world. With God's help believing in and obeying Him is neither boring or difficult. Another benefit of being a true believer, your name doesn't get removed from the Book of Eternal Life. "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life...And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 21:12, 14.. In the world, people get excited to be considered V.I.P.'s, their name on billboards, the invite to special dinners, the exclusive spot in the club, but the time in the spotlight is but a moment. Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. James 4:14. A true V.I.P is not one by the world's standards. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes in the shed blood of the risen Savior, Jesus, will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. (Romans 6:9; 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 7:14, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. (Romans 10:9-10) 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. (Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19) 3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and God. (Romans 10:9) 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. (Acts 16:31) This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Mark 8:36, Matthew 16:26; John 14:15-17 ; James 4:14; Revelation 21:12, 14;  An Arm of Flesh How many times have you had a problem that appeared to be too difficult to deal with, but you figured it out, and gave yourself the credit for figuring it out or you asked for help from someone else and gave them the glory? When we pride ourselves on the work of our hands, we are on a very slippery slope of idolatry. Idolatry is the worship of something or someone other than God and giving credit for our victories to someone or something other than God. When we depend on man to help us in our time of need, we make man our god. Now, there is nothing wrong with being confident in the fact that God has equipped us to do good work with our own hands, and as believers in Christ, we are to help one another when we are in need. But, the ownership of the outcome of what is accomplished in our lives belongs to no one but God. Yes, we can prepare, build up our walls, but when the enemy is encamped all around us, we make a grave mistake in placing out trust in the work of our hands or trusting in someone else to help us win the battle. Let's see what happens when you put your trust in God and when you put your trust in man. The one who places their trust in God versus the one who trusts in their own strength: 2 Chronicles Chapter 32 verses 1 through 22. Hezekiah became king over Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of God. Hezekiah restored the Temple worship, destroyed the places of idol worship, and restarted the festivals required by God that had long been neglected. Because of Hezekiah's faithfulness to God, Hezekiah prospered greatly. (*the false prosperity gospel get their twisted doctrines from verses like these but that is another topic for discussion). His kingdom grew larger, he accumulated much wealth and property, and he was protected from his enemies. After Hezekiah settled into his kingdom, God sent an army to test Hezekiah's heart.  Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked the cities of King Hezekiah. We get a good example of how pride will lead to destruction. Sennacherib was very prideful, and he trusted in the work of his own hands, taking credit for all the victories over other nations. Sennacherib used 19 verses boasting about all that he had done, blaspheming God, and tried to intimidate king Hezekiah and the people of Israel to give into fearing his army. King Hezekiah responded to Sennacherib's threats by doing this: "Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven." vs 20. Did Hezekiah cower and say 'oh woo is me', 'what am I gonna do?' NO! King Hezekiah did not send for help from other kingdoms either. He asked for help from God. King Hezekiah placed his complete trust in the only One Who could truly help him! Did God have to take 19 verses to answer back Sennacherib? No, "Answer not a fool in his folly" Proverbs 26:4. God took ONE verse to destroy Sennacherib and his army.  The danger we face is just like Hezekiah, our lives can be going very well and then disaster strikes: loss of a job, no money, children go astray, marriage breaks down, loss of home, or some new serious medical diagnosis, or the death of a loved one. It is at these moments when are own hearts are tested. Will we trust and depend on God or not? Unfortunately, if we are honest with ourselves, we tend to not trust God in those moments, and then we look all over the world looking for help and answers to our problem from the world, but only come to God as a last resort, and this is after we have completely messed up lives trying to fix the problem on our own. The story of Hezekiah is just one of many stories contrasting the lives of those who trust in man and riches instead of trusting in God. One thing is crystal clear, those who trusted in anything or anyone other than God ALWAYS ended in total destruction, this is the result of being cursed. What does it mean to be cursed? Here is statement from BibleStudytools.com, "Nowhere in the Bible is the state of being cursed portrayed in more graphic terms than in Deuteronomy 28:16-68. The curse follows its victims everywhere, extending to progeny and all means of livelihood. It includes incurable diseases, slow starvation, abuse by enemies, exile, panic, confusion, and eventual madness." We are faced with many trials and tribulations, But God, can deliver us from them all, IF we put our complete trust in Him and Him alone. Do you want to be cursed or blessed, the choice is up to you. (John 16:33)  There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and was brutally tortured and shed His blood and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. What is a person being saved from? Hell, the most horrible place we can imagine, it is an eternal place of torture away from the true and living God in a place in which all of God's goodness is removed. Salvation is not just about being saved from hell and going to heaven, Salvation is also about being adopted into the kingdom of God, you can become a son or daughter of the Most High and you earn all the privileges of being a child of God. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believe will receive and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy your way into heaven because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Believe in the blood that was shed for you and the forgiveness of your sins, and Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God. 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: 2 Chronicles 32; Proverbs 26:4; Jeremiah 17:5 & 7-8; John 16:33; References: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/curse-accursed.html   One thing that the current events does for me is confirm and prove that the Bible is absolutely true. The Word of God spells out perfectly why mankind cannot solve the problems that plague the human race. How many wars will it take to convince the world that it is impossible for us to change without God? Why do they remain deaf to God but listen to Satan's lies, thinking we will eventually 'evolve' into a Star Trek Utopian society? Many ignore or disbelieve what the Bible says about humanity and life or they believe the words written are just fairy tales made up by 'foolish' men. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible says that life and death are in the tongue. Our words have power; our words can build up or tear down in the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realms of existence. We can't defend ourselves against words. If someone is trying to physically harm us we have the chance to fight back and not be physically wounded, but if someone speaks a harsh word we can't put up a barrier to block the words, they go past the physical barrier to attack our minds/emotions/souls. Do you think words don't matter? Look at the news and see the truth. We are on the brink of World War 3 over WORDS! People get into knock-down-drag-out fights over WORDS! Words are used to incite a crowd into a murderous frenzy and words are used to comfort a crying baby, WORDS HAVE POWER! People have lost jobs, been vilified in social media because of WORDS. Words have so much power, they are what created the world and everything in it; in the beginning God "said" let there be light...How does one become a Christian? by hearing the gospel 'spoken' to them and confessing with their mouth that "Jesus is Lord". How do we get are hearts desires (when they are inline with God's will), by 'asking' God for what we want. "Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim" Proverbs 15:4. A cut will heal, a broken bone will mend, but a hateful word spoken can stay with a person for their "Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim" Proverbs 15:4. A cut will heal, a broken bone will mend, but a hateful word spoken can stay with a person for their lifetime. It is heart breaking how many people suffer all their lives because of how they were spoken to as a child; 80 year old men and women still bitter and hopeless because their parents spoke criticizing/hateful words instead of words of love and affirmations. ten.  Does this world need a new policy or great speech or new laws? NO! "Perceptive words spread knowledge; fools are hollow-there's nothing to them." Proverbs 15:7. There is no comparison between the wisdom of God versus man. The Word of God is perfect through and through, it needs no revisions, no updates. It gives mankind exact instructions on how to live a successful life. It is the living God Who is Spirit transformed into physical pages. If the world would just stop and hear the Truth, we would not have all the problems we see today. The Truth is being heralded for all who will listen. Do not be alarmed at the news of possible war with North Korea or any other country. Jesus gives us warning that when we 'hear' of wars and rumors of wars, to not be afraid. We should not be surprised. If you are afraid, you need to get your life right with God right now! So many Christians in industrialized countries like the US blindly think nothing bad is going to happen here, but we do not get immunity from the coming destruction. When that final prophetic piece falls into place the whole world is going to be affected; how you deal with it depends on where you stand with God. The world is just as God said it would be in the last days. Christians, we have nothing to fear; death has no power over us unless we are not truly of the faith. To die for Christ is gain. Nothing in this world can separate us from the love of God. We must stand firm in the faith in the Word, and not put our trust in riches or governments/men;
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. Jeremiah 17:5 Jesus gave the parable of the rich fool in Luke chapter 12 starting in verse 13; the rich man had stored up many crops and decided to build bigger barns to keep then in; then the rich man decided he wanted to spend the rest of his days having a good time in life, eating, partying. But Jesus called him a 'fool' for although the rich man had many material possessions he was spiritually bankrupt, and he did have many years to live it up, no, his life was required of him that night. Jesus calls anyone who will live like the rich man a fool for laying up treasures on this earth for selfish reasons and being poor towards God. Where we stand with God will determine how we hear and understand what is going on in the world. The words that we speak in our personal lives and what is said on the world stage will lead to either life or destruction. We need to choose our words carefully. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Genesis Chapter 1; Romans 10:14; Proverbs 18:21; Matthew 21:22; Isiah 55:11; Mark 11:23; Matthew 4:4; Jeremiah 17:5; Luke 12:13-21; Proverbs 15:4; Proverbs 15:7; Matthew 24:6  AND AFTER ALL THIS, IF YOU DON'T OBEY ME, BUT WALK CONTRARY TO ME, THEN I WILL WALK CONTRARY TO YOU IN FURY; AND I, EVEN I, WILL CHASTISE YOU SEVEN TIMES FOR YOUR SINS. YOU SHALL EAT THE FLESH OF YOUR SONS, AND YOU SHALL EAT THE FLESH OF YOUR DAUGHTERS. LEVITICUS 26:27-29 I used to love to watch scary movies. Why I felt 'entertained' by images of demonic forces, ghosts, vampires, zombies, or other creatures and seeing people brutally murdered was a sign of my own spiritual blindness. Why would these types of movies be entertaining to someone who claims to be a Christian? The truth is demons and murderers are real. But they are not the topic of this post. Demons and murderers are representative of one of the two Kingdoms I want to discuss with you today. According to the Bible, there are only two dominions, The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. There is no 'middle' kingdom!!! How many Christians today are truly in the kingdom of God? According to the Bible, there are only two dominions, The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. There is no 'middle' kingdom. How many Christians today are truly in the kingdom of God? Jesus had a lot of negative things to say about religious sects who thought they were worshipers of God. Why did Jesus call the Pharisees and teachers of the law ravenous wolves, but the people in sin He just told them “go and sin no more”? Why did He call a crowd of Jewish people sons/daughters of Satan? The Hebrew people had the laws of God, they were God's chosen people, but Jesus knew the truth, they may have called themselves Jews, but they were deceived. In John Chapter 8 starting at verse 39, the Jews were arguing with Jesus that they were true children of God, but Jesus exposed who their real father was, the devil. Many today are like the crowd who claimed they were children of Abraham. Becoming a true child of God is made possible by believing In Jesus and turning away from sin. But many so-called Christians are really living in graveyards of their own making by continuing with a life of sin and believe that God does not care about their sin. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 23:27, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Nothing is hidden from God.  Look at some graveyards, where there are manicured lawns, with nice trees and flowers, they appear so peaceful. Many of the headstones have sayings like, "Rest in Peace". Many mainline celebrity "Christians" look very manicured on the outside, with their expensive clothes, fancy shoes, million-dollar estates, and jet planes. But the word of God is true, the wages of sin is death, and those who do not repent and die in their sins are not 'resting in peace. "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgement, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries." Hebrews 10:27 The adversaries are God’s enemies, those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Bible has a harsh warning for those who have been given the Truth but still abuse the grace of God to live a selfish life. Hebrews Chapter 10 starting at verse 28 to 31 "Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." And again, "The LORD will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. "  THE NARROW WAY  THE BROAD WAY In these last days, we are seeing the real “Night of The Living Dead". Zombies are real. "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, "These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are DEAD." Revelation 3:1. Jesus is calling some members of the church as being the living dead. These ‘church’ members live, party, eat, marry, work and go about their lives as if there is nothing wrong; they foolishly think they are 'good' with God when Jesus calls them out has being dead, naked, wretched, miserable, poor, and blind. "I am blessed and highly favored" is a common saying espoused by many Christians today. They equate material possessions and comfortable living with being 'blessed and highly favored' by God, but the Bible says that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. So just because someone has material goods does not mean that they are favored by God. Jesus said that His followers would be hated by the world because the world hated/hates Him. His true followers are identified by their exclusiveness not their commonness with the world. It is foolish to continue to live in sin and think because you have ‘made it’ in the world that this means that God is ‘blessing’ you. What is the conclusion of the matter? We who claim to be Christians are to test ourselves to be sure we are of the faith. If our faith is not genuine, if the Holy Spirit does not reside in us convicting us of our willful sin, all that we do in the name of Christ is in vain. A chilling scripture I will continue to make note that is a warning to all those who call themselves "Christian". Following Christ is no child's game. We, to our peril, tend to treat God so flippantly, but God will not be mocked. We will reap what we sow. EXAM yourself daily, because on that day of Judgment, you don't want to be told this by Jesus:  Trust completely in God; don't lean on your own understanding and repent from any sins. Jesus Christ raises us up from our dead state. Tribulations will come, but brothers and sisters, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 1:13; 2nd Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 4:17-29; Ephesians 5:3-10; Philippians 3:18-20; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; Romans Chapter 6; Romans Chapter 7; Romans 8:39-47; Ezekiel 18:20; Matthew 23:7; Hebrews 10:26-31; Romans 8:7, Romans 5:10; 1 John 3:8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:5; Revelation 3:1; Revelation 3:17; John 16:33; Psalm 46:1-2; Psalm 91:5; Leviticus 26:27-29; Galatians 5:16 References: https://youtu.be/EU6t4yCidAo  As I look back on my life, I can see clearly how God has guided and protected me DESPITE my walking in disobedience for so many years. Any person who is truly looking for that 'NARROW' road that FEW find can understand part of my journey and this fundamental absolute Truth: "There is nothing more important, or worth all your time, all your money, all your talents/resources, all your attention, all of your energies than the Glorification of Jesus Christ!" Trip Lee-2016 Cross 2016. Many people mistakenly believe that once you decide to become a Christian, that 'instantly' your life is changed and everything will be good, that your life will be prosperous, you can get rich, and have no problems (this is unfortunately taught by many false prophets/preachers today). This is partly true. Yes, when we make the conscious, willful decision to follow Christ we are a "new creation" as stated in 2 Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." But this verse has to be miscorrectly understood within its context. Now I don't want to spend too much time on the concept of sanctification, which is a very lengthy topic, but just want to establish the foundation of this post. Sanctification in simple terms means being made into the image of Christ; it's a life long process. As we walk in the light, it's like changing clothes; at first we take off our shoes-we change some friends we used to hang with; then we take off our old socks-we stop watching some TV shows we used to enjoy; we take off our shirt-we start reading the bible more and more...this process is normal for all believers, but each believer goes through the process differently. Some people are still wearing those old dirty underwear-our old sins- because they are comfortable, they are habits, some are addictions. As a Christian, we are to willfully allow God to do His perfect work in us, Jesus prayed to His Father for us, "Sanctify them by Your Truth, You word is Truth." John 17:17. God will not force us to change; He gives everyone free will to follow Him completely. We don't understand, we deceive ourselves believing that we can compromise, divide our hearts between God and our selfish interests and still call ourselves "Christian".   It is with this verse that my willful membership in the Black Greek Letter Organization- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) came into question. Again, becoming a Christian is not "instant holiness", it's a process. Since being baptized into the kingdom of God, He has been working on me, I started the process of letting the works of Satan go and putting on the works of righteousness, but that does not mean I have not continued to sin at times. I have read the bible completely numerous times, but one aspect that true believers understand and experience is that the Bible is alive, it's not just ink and paper, it is the living/breathing/active presence of the Most Holy God. Many Christians can testify to the point that they can read and re-read the same passage and get a different application/different understanding from it without changing its true meaning, but there is a serious problem in the body today: the misinterpretation of scripture. God's word is not incorrect, it is perfect, it's our own twisted, misinterpretations of His word that are incorrect. It is true that anyone can make the scriptures say what they want it to say, that is how we have all these thousands of different denominations, sects, and many other religions. "Well I think that baptism means just sprinkling water on a person's head" "Jesus never preached against homosexuality, so it must be okay with God" "Jesus was Satan's brother" "God hardens men's hearts so He can't blame me for sinning" "If I work really hard, God has to accept me". "There is no good or evil man is in charge of their own destiny." "I can live any way I want, the grace of God covers me." These are a few examples of some the heretical beliefs many people hold. Many will and have questioned why I decided to renounce my membership in AKA. "What's wrong with being in a sorority? They do community service, they have sisterhood." or "Why can't you be an AKA (or other Greek/Mason) and a Christian?" For many years, 22 years to be exact, I rationalized why I stayed an active member with these very rationalizations, "What's wrong with being in a sorority, they do so many 'good' activities in the community; I have 'sisters' all over the world." Like many, I enjoyed the special status; when you wear the 'pink and green' jacket with the superiority with the secret meetings, selective criteria. For years, I spent nonredeemable amounts of time, money, talents to support and promote the ideals of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. On the outside it looks like being an AKA is part of the good life, it's all glitter and gold, that is the facade they want you to believe. When you wear the symbols "AKA", people instantly know and identify you as being a member of this particular sorority. They don't see you or God, they see only the sorority and what the sorority represents. I had the pride of being a part of a selective group of women with supposed high standards.  "It's about service to all mankind", they even throw in "Jesus" in some of their rituals and prayers. To a Christian being deceived, it's like novocaine, "They talk about Christ so it must be a Christian organization". But what does the Bible say? Jesus said that you will know His TRUE followers by their fruits. Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit." Matthew 7:16-18. What is so sad today is how many compromise the gospel, blatant clear commandments ignored, twisted to support every kind of immoral lifestyle. Many believe they can follow God and still engage in wicked activities. I have seen these posts on social media/the internet: "Open, practicing Gay Pastor" "Christian Lesbian" "Christian Witch" "Christian Muslim-Hindu-Buddhist"; Single's ministries are used to hook up and commit fornication then are in church every Wednesday and Sunday 'praising' God. Many think there are many ways to God, everyone's belief is correct, that is okay to combine Christian concepts with Satanic concepts and that is okay with God. What is CRYSTAL CLEAR is that God does NOT support any compromise or combining His word with works of darkness. We get a clear picture of what God thinks about alternative worship activities in Leviticus Chapter 10 verses 1-2, "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them, and they died before the LORD." Nadab and Abihu tried to approach God in the way they thought was OKAY but their wrong belief cost them their very lives. There is a way that seems right to man but it only leads to death. The truth is so clear if a person is willing to see it. A verse that should 'terrify' those who say they are Christians, is given by Jesus:  Jesus warns us that not everyone who calls them self a Christian is going to get into heaven; and the even scarier part is it some of the 'working' ones Jesus says He "never knew them"! So a very serious question must be asked when we are doing things that we 'think' are truly for God. Yes, sororities and fraternities do a lot of community service but that does NOT mean they are godly. Jesus says that even evil people love other people and do 'good' works too. That means that evil people take care of their family, give money, donate their time, volunteer, etc. Now I am not saying that every member of these organizations is evil, only God knows the true standing of individuals; but, I am proclaiming that the umbrella organizations-the sororities/fraternity entities are works of Satan. Satan loves to deceive people into believing that God is okay with compromising His Word. Satan loves to get us performing his works of darkness thinking we are doing them for God. Jesus saved His most condemning statements for the religious folks in His day. The Pharisees thought that all the money and time and sacrifices they made put them in right standing before God, but Jesus revealed the truth about those 'pretenders' those 'hypocrites' in the whole book of Matthew Chapter 23. A summation of this entire chapter is: the Pharisees on the outside 'appeared' to very 'godly' doing many different activities but inside they were "blind guides" "hypocrites" "fools" "ravenous wolves" "whitewashed tombs 'which appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness."  ON THE OUTSIDE THEY LOOK BEAUTIFUL BUT ON THE INSIDE THEY ARE FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES They appear beautiful on the outside; This is the epitome of an AKA. The chants proclaim this false belief:  Many "Christians" today are ignorant of God's Word. The words we speak have power. We will have to give an account for EVERY idle word we have said. Life and death are in the tongue. These are not just simple sayings, they are profound truths! When we take oaths and make chants we are speaking either life or death into the spirit world. And Christians are not to make any oaths at all, just let our Yes be Yes or our No be No because EVERYTHING ELSE IS FROM THE DEVIL (Matthew 5:37). I'm not here to air dirty laundry, but what I can say is this, people on the outside do not know what is really going on in the inside of these sororities/fraternities. Some of the heinous acts are known to the public like the illegal/underground hazing/partying/drinking, (see the 2017 movie Burning Sands) but there are many other kinds of wickedness evident throughout the divine 9 and other secret society organizations.   Jesus says, "Come to me ALL who are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28; The sororities and fraternities call only those who are worthy-on the surface-they claim they invite those of high ethical/moral/scholastic standards, behind the scenes you have to look a certain way, dress a certain way, and have lots of money. They are very selective and once you sign on the dotted line, THERE IS NO REST; if you are an active member of one of these Greek organizations-first, in order for you to be real you must agree to be subjected to an underground illegal and ungodly hazing/pledge process. On the surface-all fraternities/sororities have anti-hazing laws, but behind the cold doors, hazing is still actively done throughout most of these Greek organizations. The activities women and men will do to join one of these programs is mind-boggling; so many deaths, injuries to pledges have been reported, but many self-professed Christians can't be bothered to do anything for God's kingdom. Jesus Christ took our stripes upon His Own body for our sins so we would not have to. But countless men and women willingly allow themselves to be physically beaten, bodies branded with heated objects, humiliated, shamed, engage in unsafe sex , eat/drink alcohol or water or other strange/bizarre types of food/no food like feces/urine in excess to point of bodily harm-all to join their particular Greek frat/sorority. Once you cross you will spend thousands of dollars in assessments/conferences/events/paraphernalia; you will spend countless hours in meetings, volunteering; if you hold an officer position it is almost like having a second full-time job. God has been working on me for the past few years, I had been letting some things go, but I was still holding onto AKA but I was not fully connected to AKA, I felt like an outsider. The closer I got to God, really reading and studying His Word, my eyes started to be open about my involvement in this sorority. It is very chilling to learn how easily we can deceive ourselves. For years I blindly served AKA when I should have been severing God. Yes, we serve God by serving other people but the key difference is the work I did for AKA promoted AKA, not God. Jesus tells us what the greatest commandment is in Mark 12 verse 30. And you shall love the LORD your God with all of your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. This verse is crystal clear, we are to love God with ALL /TOTAL/COMPLETE/100% of our heart. I knew this Scripture but was not really applying in my life. How could I say I love God with all of my heart and then turn around and proclaim that I love AKA with all my heart, mind, strength? God does not share. He wants us all or nothing. Jesus says this plainly in Revelations Chapter 3 verse 15-17, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth." and He tells the truth about being 'rich and having no need of anything, "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing-and do you not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." and believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers; and idol worship is a sin. What does it mean to be 'conceited'? It's all about Me, Myself, and I; The idol of my worship was myself and AKA. As a Christian, I am to 'deny' myself and seek the kingdom of God above all else. When people see me, I don't want them to see AKA or me, I want them to see Christ, Glorify God. I started to search for others who have made this same decision and it has further opened my eyes to the truth that I needed to leave AKA. I learned of the Satanic origins of the sororities/fraternities. Once my eyes were opened, I could not close them. To stay in AKA with what I KNOW now, would be like Lot's wife looking back toward Sodom and being turned into salt. The Holy Spirit led me to this final verse that describes this thought: FOR WHEN THEY SPEAK GREAT SWELLING WORDS OF EMPTINESS, THEY ALLURE THROUGH THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH, THOUGH LEWDNESS, THE ONE WHO HAVE ESCAPED FROM THOSE WHO LIVE IN ERROR. WHILE THEY PROMISED THEM LIBERTY, THEY THEMSELVES ARE SLAVES OF CORRUPTION; FOR BY WHOM A PERSON IS OVERCOME, BY HIM ALSO HE IS BROUGHT INTO BONDAGE. FOR IF THEY HAVE ESCAPED THE POLLUTION'S OF THE WORLD THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, THEY ARE AGAIN ENTANGLED IN THEM AND OVERCOME, THE LATTER END IS WORSE FOR THEM THAN THE BEGINNING. FOR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR THEM NOT TO HAVE KNOW IT, TO TURN FROM THE HOLY COMMANDMENT DELIVERED TO THEM. BUT IT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM ACCORDING TO THE TRUE PROVERB: "A DOG RETURNS TO HIS OWN VOMIT' AND "A SOW, HAVING WASHED, TO HER WALLOWING IN THE MUD." 2 PETER 2:18-22 The actions of many today show these seven sad truths are crystal 'clear' : A. They don't read the word of God- "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" Hosea 4:6. B. They don't believe the word of God- "Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" Isaiah 53:1 C. They don't understand the word of God or misinterpret the word of God- Jesus answered and said to them," You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God." Matthew 22:29 D. They don't care about the word of God- "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Matthew 3:19; E. They twist the word of God to support their wicked lifestyle- "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be be turned aside to fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4. F. They don't believe that God cares about what they do or say because "He is a forgiving 'god'.- "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Revelation 21:8 G. They believe that everyone gets to heaven no matter what they believe or do- "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life,and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13 Once I made the decision to denounce my membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, not half way but completely-I mailed back their pin with a letter of decision to leave the sorority; and gave away/threw away all of my AKA paraphernalia; this post was my final step in proclaiming to the world, WHO I serve this day, it The Great I am, the One and only True God, Jesus Christ My Lord and Savior; this opened up new doors that I had no idea what God had in store for me. I will talk about this on my next post about "What are you doing to block God's blessings for your life". I have come to this decision with a clear conscience and a pure heart. I tell my testimony to help those who are seeking truth. The truth can be found if you are willing to look for it and the truth will set you free. **Update 3/23/2018- I have received my official letter from the sorority that I am no longer identified as an AKA, HALLELUJAH! Do I regret my decision, ABSOLUTELY NOT! There is no question or doubt in my mind of the truth about this and other secret societies. God has honored my faithfulness by opening doors I would never have imagined. No one can serve two masters, you are either serving God or the devil. The devil deceives so many when the truth is readily available for all who have the courage and faith to believe and receive it. **Update 8/23/2018- God is still confirming that He is calling His people out of these Greek/masonic wicked organizations, He led me to become a member of a ministry called "Out From Among Them" which is comprised of brothers and sisters in Christ who have renounced their membership in the various organizations. God is opening doors for this message to get out to the people. We had our first "Truth Tour" July 28th 2018, we have been invited to other churches around the US to bring this message to their cities as well. Men and women who find our blogs/messages are deciding to denounce, some are considering what God is telling them.  If you are a member or considering being a member of a Greek or Masonic or any other organization that is questionable click on this link for more information and guidance to get out or encouragement to not get in: outfromamongthemministry whyIdenouncedAKAtherituals WhyIdenouncedAKAthepledge IdolatryinBlackGreekFraternitiesandSororities Other Sister's In Christ's own Testimonies of Renouncing AKA: DenouncingAKADenouncingGreeklife WhyIdenouncedAKA WhyIdenouncedAlphaKappaAlpha SeriesontheidolatryofAKA ,*Update 10/20/2020- I am still standing on the truth God revealed to me back in 2017, Greek Fraternities/Sororities/Freemasonry are NOT OF GOD! I came across a movie I had never seen before, The Burning Sands. This movie came out the year I denounced. My God, that movie, although pornographic, displays exactly the true underlying wickedness of these organizations. There is nothing good at all about these godless, Satan worshiping organizations. Update 2/23/2022- Praise the LORD! I'm still going strong with the continued conviction about the truthfulness about the wickedness of Greek Organizations including the one I denounced and renounced in 2017. Since my repentance from willingly serving another god for many years, the Lord has continued to open the eyes and broken the hard hearts of hundreds and thousands of men and women who are letting go of their membership in the various BGLO's/Freemason/Eastern/Wiccan etc.. There are hundreds of renouncement/denouncement videos, group podcasts exposing the truth about the foundations of all Greek organizations, Freemasonry, which is the cover for Satan worship. There is ongoing dialogue via varying media platforms disputing and teaching about all the aspects of Greek membership and how the Bible is clearly in opposition to all that is linked to Greek activities and membership. Several books have been published by ex-members given deep insight into their time and eventual departure from their Greek organization. Several other books exposing all the rituals and foundational history of the Greek organizations have also been published. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to pour out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believe will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessings from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible-preaching, not twisting or adding/deleting from the Word of God, a church that does not pacify sin, a church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ and preaches about the kingdom of God. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: John 17:16-17; Philippians 2:13; Hosea 4:6; Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 53:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Matthew 22:29; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 7:15-20; Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 4:29; John 8:7; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; 1 John 3: 4-10; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Matthew 11:28; Revelations 4:15-17; Proverbs 18:21; Matthew 12:36; Mark 12:30; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 5:33-34; 2 Peter 18-22; Matthew 7:13; Leviticus Chapter 10 verses 1-2 References: Cross 2016-You Were Built to Brag-Trip Lee: https://youtu.be/PCvggFCzkKY ; https://newsone.com/1677445/hazing-deaths-rituals-colleges-famu/  What is so disheartening today is the ongoing disdain and utter disrespect for our elected president and his cabinet members. It is is amazing how so many of those who call themselves Christians make judgmental and debasing comments but don't offer any REAL solutions to the very serious and complicated problems this country faces. One may not agree with everything that our government and our leaders do or say, but to continue with the ongoing name calling, shaming, bitter discourse is not helpful, but only continues to fuel the useless dialog we have today. What don't they understand is a people divided WILL NOT STAND!
At the core of the issue, if you are Christian, is do you believe what is written in the Bible or not? "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." Romans 13:1 ALL AUTHORITIES THAT EXIST ARE APPOINTED BY GOD!!!!! What part of this is not understandable? I have a few questions for those who post negative and debasing comments on social media about President Trump or anyone working in the government. 1. Should a Christian complain about the leader of our country or pray for him? 2. Should a Christian look down on, judge the leader of our country? 3. Should a Christian make snide, sarcastic, rude, hateful speech about another person? 4. Should a Christian be afraid of what a government is going to do? A. "Donald Trump is the biggest lying present ever." Really when did we become God, to see into the heart of man. "He without sin cast the first stone". ALL Politicians are liars; so, is there some "scale of liars", One who lies only a few times is better than the one who lies a lot??? God does not grade on a scale, One lie is just has bad as 100 lies. B. "Donald Trump is an evil man". Again, "He without sin cast the first stone." What exactly is Trump doing that is 'evil'? And again are we to complain or pray for our leaders? And IF Trump is evil, he was put their by God, so your issue is not with Trump, it's with the Great I Am. C. "Trump doesn't know what he's doing." Do you have any real solutions to the fact that America is trillions of dollars in debt, that a majority of our debt is owned by China? Do you have a real solution to the looming war with China/Russia? Do you have real solution to the fact that less than 50% of people in the US actually work? Do you have a solution to the millions of people who are no help to society because they are addicted to mind altering drugs? Trump is ONE person who has to work with 100 senators, 435 house of representatives, 9 supreme judges, and hundreds of other counsel members/directors/etc. Christians are not to react to situations like those who don't know God. "Let no corrupt communication from your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that may impart grace to the hearers." Ephesians 4:29. What does "corrupt communication" mean? According to Strong's concordance the word means "rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved." USELESS is one of the synonyms that describes a majority of the comments and opinions made about Trump. Not words of encouragement, no words of education, or any realistic solutions, just useless, rotten commentary. There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born of a virgin; Jesus lived and died but He rose from Dead, and now offers anyone who will believe in Him Salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW. 1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 4:29; John 8:7 References: http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/ As I am reading/studying in the Old Testament, I am finishing up the Book of 2 Kings. I marvel at the history of the Israelites as they go from one wicked king to another; and despite the many warnings and punishments from God, the nation as a whole did not repent from their wicked and evil ways. Their hearts were hardened against the commandments and laws of God. This was the ancient past, but I can't help but compare their history to our current present state of affairs. The United States has been one the most blessed nations in the world. "One Nation Under God" has been our motto since our nation's inception, but when you look at the country today, this is no longer a nation "under God". This nation has committed the exact same sins that the Hebrews committed so many years ago for which God utterly destroyed them. How does the U.S. compare to the Israelites? There are three main areas in which the U.S. is guilty and I believe that the United States does not have not much time before God's mercy ends and His righteous judgement begins. Number 1: "And also because of the innocent blood that he shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, with the Lord would not pardon." 2 Kings 24:4   Number 2: "And there were also homosexuals and prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel." 1 Kings 14:24 No other area like sexual sin is the word of God so twisted to support any wicked and detestable lifestyle. Sex sells is a common advertising slogan. Pornography both child and adult is a billion dollar industry. Homosexual 'priests' & 'pastors', child molesters, pedophiles, homosexuals, bisexual, lesbians, individuals using social media technology for hooking up for quickie one night stands; it seems almost daily there is a news report of some teacher being arrested for inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor. The Bible is crystal clear on what God thinks about any kind of sex outside a adult male and female relationship. ALL other forms of sex are an abomination.  Number 3: "Then He said to me, "Go in, and see the wicked abominations they are doing there. So I went in and saw, and there-every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed around the walls...Then He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, "The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land ." Ezekiel 8:9-12 The number one idols today are not an asherah poles or carven/graven images of animals/creatures, no the most common idol today is man. An article in the New Age publication Science of Mind states, “The significance of incarnation and resurrection is not that Jesus was a human like us but rather that we are gods like him—or at least have the potential to be." No where is this more apparent than in the entertainment business. To see fans at concerts and games, they cry and scream and literally bow down to their favorite artist, the adoration and devotion they show towards the famous is evident in how they follow their favorite team/celebrity relentlessly, giving their time, treasures, and talent to the service of either themselves or to another human being. "American Idol" is not just a t.v. show.  There is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. The eyes of the unrepentant wicked need to be opened and the ears unplugged so they can see and hear the truth. The Good News is Salvation is a free gift from God, anyone who will believes will know and have a real relationship with the true God. You can't work for it or buy because the price has already been paid with the Blood of Jesus Christ and Believing in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of God and saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave. 2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus. 3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God 4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ. This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived. Bible verses related to this post: 2 Kings 24:4; 1 Kings 14:24; Hebrews 13:4; Leviticus 20:13; Ezekiel 9:9; Ezekiel 8:7-12 References: http://www.christianliferesources.com/article/u-s-abortion-statistics-by-year-1973-current-1042; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States http://www.allaboutworldview.org/new-age-theology.htm |
AuthorErica Harris is a God Gifted Christian Coach, Counselor, providing insights and truths from the Word of God, The Bible. Archives
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